Rockets on Prisoner Awards ceremony!

[url=http://rop2005.thatweasel.tv]Rockets on Prisoner[/url], the ultimate (and only) Halo movies awards has finally reached it's climax, and That Weasel, the host, has released the final [url=http://rop2005.thatweasel.tv/index.php?site=O&pg=CE]Awards Ceremony[/url] for public download, showcasing all of the nominees and winners of the various categories.

Finally, after months of waiting, That Weasel proclaimed the [url=http://rop2005.thatweasel.tv/index.php?site=O&pg=CE]Rockets on Prisoner awards ceremony[/url] was finally finished.
For those of you who don't know, the Rockets on Prisoner awards are for the best in Halo Movies. Started by Emil of Cobaltnova, then continued by Wolfy of Sector 7, and finally That Weasel, growing bigger and more professional each year. This year, there are snazzy prizes for the winners, and a [i]real[/i] awards ceremony.
The [url=http://rop2005.thatweasel.tv/index.php?site=O&pg=CE]Awards Ceremony[/url] is a monster film, weighing in at about 230 megs (WMP9) and 300 megs (QT6), at 320 x 240, in either Quicktime or Windows Media. Fortunately, That Weasel has got some massive servers of doom, and is hosting this as a direct download.
Also as a bonus, it features some pretty snazzy editing, is entertaining to watch, and is extremely useful if you're looking for some good Halo machinima to download. This is the best of the best, folks, and a suprisingly well put together video.
Remember, you can download the [url=http://rop2005.thatweasel.tv/index.php?site=O&pg=V]nominees[/url] and the [url=http://rop2005.thatweasel.tv/index.php?site=O&pg=W]winners[/url] from the ROP site, too, for a first (or second) watch.

We have a minor flashback this week taking questions from the kidz. And the kidz are all right. This week we address matchmaking, cheating, dance carefully around the next project and lots, lots more. Nothing too heart-stopping.

2old2playWEST benefit LAN a Success!

Members of the clan 2old2playWEST have put on a LAN party with proceeds benefitting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Check out [url=http://www.2old2play.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=147]2old2play.com[/url] for all the Deets! Additional Pics on [url=http://www.tiedtheleader.blogspot.com]Tied The Leader[/url].

Written on Friday, November 04 @ 11:54:48 EST by XerxdeeJ
If you haven't heard the story yet, I would like to introduce you to a HALO2 clan who has joined the Fight Against Cancer. And what did your clan do this week? In the opinions of this LAN Partyin' blogger, the answer is: "Abso-fragging-lutely Nothing!" When thrill-seeking adults come together to celebrate the phenomenon of competitive multiplayer, the essence of the pastime gets ratcheted up a notch or four. If you have been to a LAN Party, then you know that the best way to experience team chat is by breathing the same smoke-filled air as of your team.
However, the crew of gamers that comprise the 2old2play WEST Clan found a way to make a HALO2 LAN Party even better. Their recent social gathering raised proceeds that were donated to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. And you thought the Battle Rifle was only good for stamping out n00bs. In the hands of the right event planner, it also an effective iron in the battle against blood cancer...
...And wouldn't you know it? With a polite phone call or seven, organizations can be enlisted in the effort who are willing to help a bunch of gamers bound together in aid of a good charity. This is not some sort of dodge or hustle. Your heart has to be in the right place to do anything for charity. If that thing happens to be hosting a LAN Party for your HALO2 Clan... Well, everyone wins. Except for those poor, distracted souls whose flag was captured. They lose. But they still win! Except for the fact that their flag got captured.
In the end, the 2old2play WEST Clan threw $367 towards research that saves more lives that they took in search of bragging rights and a splatter medal. 12 West Coast multiplayer enthusiasts had a rocking good time. All of this for a couple hundred dollars in startup costs...
Mad Props to Bungie studios for thier genrous donation!
Find More info and Pics of the party at [url=http://www.2old2play.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=147]2old2play.com[/url]and [url=http://www.tiedtheleader.blogspot.com]Tiedtheleader.blogspot.com[/url]

ServerSpy.Net now supports Halo!

ServerSpy.Net now supports Halo for Server Monitor. Server Monitor allows visitors to your website to see who's playing on your server - live!

Head over to www.ServerSpy.Net for the ultimate in gaming tools. Find where your friends are playing, find a Halo server, or find a server running a particular map!
For server admins and webmasters, the best free addition to your clan site on the web today is Server Monitor - head over to www.serverspy.net/site/monitor to get it now! Server Monitor) not only shows who is playing on your game server, but also provides historical graphs and player ranks. Players can also click on the monitor to join your server directly with ServerSpy's Gamelauncher.
ServerSpy.Net has also just launched the definitive product. Server Monitor 2 (see www.serverspy.net/site/monitor2) provides all the data of the original, but it also allows you to create your own custom skins to make your monitor the coolest on the web.
Don't forget to check out ServerSpy's other brilliant features, like
- Free Player, Server and Map Searches
- Free Gamelauncher software
- Free Server Ranks
- Free Server Searches by geographic location
- Teamspeak and Ventrilo Monitors
Find out more at www.ServerSpy.Net

When will we ever learn? This time we looked to Bungie's own Groups, and found an all-girl gang that beat, stomped, kicked and murderized us into submission. The Cayote Cavegirls showed Bungie that men are men, and really, what's that worth?

The Pumpkins Need YOU!

Fifty three pumpkins, five votes, one week... are you up to the challenge?

The [url=http://halo.bungie.org/misc/guiltolantern05.html]343 Guilt O' Lantern Pumpkin Carving Contest[/url] is in its voting phase; your input is needed! Visit the [url=http://halo.bungie.org/misc/guiltolantern05/voting.html?action=help]Voting Page[/url] and pick your favorite five pumpkins... help decide who gets to go home with all the goodies!

[url=http://brh.numbera.com/software/xblist/] XBList [/url] shows who's playing what, who's sent you a Friend Request or Party Invite, and shows your friends' Halo 2 emblems next to their name. It's a lightweight program that you can always have running in the corner of your desktop. It also has some integration with Xbox.com to display Gamer Tiles and link to Gamer Card information! Never miss your friends on Live again!

They're not toys, they're action figures!

Another Bungie Store update!

Now you can buy all of the joyride Halo series 4 action figures right at Bungie's very own [url=http://www.bungiestore.com/productcart/pc/default.asp]store[/url]!
[url=http://www.bungiestore.com/productcart/pc/default.asp]Bungie Store[/url]

I won't say this update is PACKED with stuff, but it does have SOME stuff in it. Check it out, and decide for yourself if it's a tease or a please. News on our Auction, the Vol. 2 soundtrack and some game we're working on.

There's some good information for those of you interested in becoming future game developers and programmers as well as some great shots of Bungies new building and a very interesting "cleaning" lady scene.....So do yourself a favor and watch this [url=http://channel9.msdn.com/showpost.aspx?postid=130619]video interview![/url]
Discuss [url=http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=5179019]here[/url]. Thanks [url=http://www.bungie.net/Account/Profile.aspx?memberID=1312623]Hine![/url]

RSS News Feeds Now Available

RSS News feeds for both the front page news and each group are now available via the "XML" link on the news listings in both areas. They'll show the most recent 15 news stories, including the top stories/group annoucements, with the top stories always first.

If you don't know what an RSS feed is, here is a short blurb on it from xml.com:
[i]RSS is a format for syndicating news and the content of news-like sites, including major news sites like Wired, news-oriented community sites like Slashdot, and personal weblogs. But it's not just for news. Pretty much anything that can be broken down into discrete items can be syndicated via RSS: the "recent changes" page of a wiki, a changelog of CVS checkins, even the revision history of a book. Once information about each item is in RSS format, an RSS-aware program can check the feed for changes and react to the changes in an appropriate way.
RSS-aware programs called news aggregators are popular in the weblogging community. Many weblogs make content available in RSS. A news aggregator can help you keep up with all your favorite weblogs by checking their RSS feeds and displaying new items from each of them.[/i]

The Xbox Community Awards

The First Annual Xbox Community Awards 2005 will be happening on Nov 20, 2005 with special guests from the Xbox community. People can vote now at [url]http://www.gamertagradio.com[/url] voting ends on Nov 15, 2005.

The First Annual Xbox Community Awards 2005 will be happening on Nov 20, 2005 with special guests from the Xbox community. People can vote now at [url]http://www.gamertagradio.com[/url] voting ends on Nov 15, 2005.
We also nominated Frankie (Bungie) for Community Member Of The Year! You can also vote for Podcast Of The Year, XBL Community Site of The Year, Clan Of The Year, Female/Community Of The Year, International Site of the Year and much more!
This show will be all in audio and we have a few surprises... stay tuned and vote now!

Your chance to bid on some incredibly collectible, valuable and rare Bungie items, and raise money for Hurricane victim relief in the process. In concert with our favorite community site, Halo.Bungie.Org, we're opening the floodgates of schwag! Get your wallets out.

Gamertag Linking is Offline

Gamertag Linking, the process by which you can link your Gamertag to Bungie.net and Microsoft Passport (so you can see your stats and more) is offline until later this week, thanks to the ongoing process of updating Xbox.com and Xbox Live.

We'll keep you posted on the progress of Gamertag Linking and expect to have it up and running in a few days.

Thanks to the overwhelming generosity of our community, the Fight the Flood campaign to raise money for the American Red Cross was a rousing success. Thanks to all who donated, and wear your T-Shirts with pride. You made a difference.

Xbox Live Outage Today

The scheduled Xbox Live downtime today (Monday October 24th) while they enhance and ready the service for Xbox 360, will affect our Halo 2 stat tracking ability. Expect to see oddities until they are finished.
[b]Update:[/b] Until everything is back to normal, gamertag linking will be unavailable. We'll update our links as soon as the linking service is working again.

The Perfect D Assures You Don't Lose

In objective games there is one way you can assure you don't lose. Just set up a perfect defence.
In the [url=http://h2wiki.halowiki.net/wiki/Defence]halowiki.net article "Defence"[/url] Chiggs examines what makes for a successful defense.

Yeah, maybe perfect is hard to achieve, but at least this should highlight how importance the subject of defence is. According to Chiggs these five actions needs focus:
[*] Getting Rid of a Nuisance
[*] Cutting off Avenues of Attack
[*] Closing off Points of Entry
[*] Clearing the Base
[*] Protecting the Objective
And of course the eternal [b]Communication[/b].
Read the article on [url=http://halowiki.net]halowiki.net[/url] to check what Chiggs puts into those important defence actions.
Here: [url=http://h2wiki.halowiki.net/wiki/Defence]Defence according to Chiggs[/url]

A short update this week, but there’s a couple of snippets in here, including the number of banhammers dropped to date. If short updates make you mad, and then you email me to complain, just go enjoy the weekend instead!

Now that we've launched our toughest playlist ever, Team Hardcore, we thought we'd employ some expert assistance to advise beginners on how to stay alive for more than ten seconds. The MLG's own Dolbex has some wise words.

Halo 2 Detailed Game Data Notice

On Tuesday, there was an issue with our servers that receive the advanced game data from Halo 2. This problem lasted from just before 4:00 pm PDT until about 6:20pm PDT. You may consequently be missing some games in your game list if you played during this time, even though Xbox Live and the XP/Level system were fully functional and recording your games as normal. Read on for the full details.

There are two parts to the data uploaded to us after each game of Halo 2. The first set of data goes to Xbox Live. This is the XP/Level info that notes your win or loss and handles your XP gain/loss. This system operated normally. However, the other part of the data gets uploaded to a set of dedicated severs that are responsible for processing the detailed data - the game viewer and the post game carnage report. This data, normally available under the Games tab on a player's stat page, was lost due a network failure on this hardware. This failure affected both the primary and the backup.
The missing games still counted in terms of experience points and level, they just won't have any detailed information or game viewer available. They won't even appear in the list of games played. We apologize for the data loss, and are taking steps to prevent this failure from happening in the future.

Sometimes, when new guys start, they're gullible enough to believe us when we claim that it is necessary to be interviewed on Bungie.net. They are more likely to be gullible when they work for Noguchi. Meet Bob.

Team Hardcore Playlist is Live

Team Hardcore is Live. The toughest, meanest, grimmest playlist of them all is now available. I just tested it myself. Stats are being tracked and there’s a ton of folks playing. And it’s hard. The balance is tipped in favor of objective games, Battle Rifle starts, motion detector off, and lots of precision teamwork.

I just tested it with rumble feedback turned off, and that wasn’t smart. I basically lit up and dropped dead without ever really knowing where I was being shot from. This playlist is not for the faint of heart.
The Playlist FAQ and stats [url=http://www.bungie.net/Stats/page.aspx?section=FAQInfo&subsection=playlists&page=1]pages[/url] have been updated with the new info for Team Hardcore. There's additional info on the [url=http://www.bungie.net/News/TopStory.aspx?story=weeklyupdatesept30]new Playlist here.[/url]